


Snowshoeing for Valentine's day on the shores of Montréal [English version]

by saphique



Category: Holby City
Genre: Berena Valentine, Bernie getting a flu, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Montreal, Serena eating a croissant, Snowshoe, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 10:41:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13680048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saphique/pseuds/saphique
Summary: Valentine's Day, on vacation in Montréal. Bernie tries to be romantic and decides to prepare a winter surprise for Serena.





	Snowshoeing for Valentine's day on the shores of Montréal [English version]

**Author's Note:**

> This is the translated version of the fanfic posted in french for Valentine 2017.  
> It is roughly translated because I decided to publish this today to celebrate our Berena love on Valentine's Day 2018 :)  
> All mistakes are mine and I'm sorry if the translation is not up to UK's expressions, I never meant to offend. 
> 
> If you wish to learn more about snowshoes, Wikipedia has some interesting articles. You should try it sometimes if you encounter a lot of snow :)

Getting up at the light of dawn is not considered a romantic morning, according to Serena's preferences. Although this is not usually part of Bernie's romantic preferences either. However, here they are, standing in the lobby of an apartment building in Montréal, wrapped up in their winter coats and pants, snowshoes in hand (well, in mittens).  
  
After swallowing a good cup of coffee, Bernie was already putting on her winter clothes, encouraging Serena to follow her, promising her early morning outing would be worth it. She insisted that it was important to go out early. It snowed heavily all night, large waving spirals. The accumulation is beautifully overlaying each object, car, tree, sidewalk. White is visible everywhere, a height of at least thirty centimetres. No footprints, apart from the ones of squirrels and birds around trees. Through the windows, Bernie can sense the complete silence in this wonderful stillness.

As soon as she sets foot outside, Serena's whole body relaxes, as if the coldness envelops her being and halts it from aging, rushing, worrying. Instinctively, she closes her eyes, overwhelmed by all of her senses being solicited by Québec's chilliness. The emerging sun is blinding. She slowly lets out a breath that comes alive in the form of a humid, sinus cloud in front of her face. Ah, the tranquility of a morning when the whole neighbourhood is still sleeping, where the slightest sounds are restricted by the heavy walls of snow. Behind her, Bernie closes the door and she puts on a backpack.  
  
"Ready?" Bernie asks, her face glowing with joy, pulling her coat cap over her head.

Serena cannot help but smile, genuinely, because the only skin visible is Bernie's large nose and her already pinked cheeks, her eyes being shadowed by the faux-fur around the cap. Bernie is wearing a coat worthy of the army: she looks so thin and light. The coat is also short, it gives the impression that Bernie will soon die of hypothermia, but in reality, it is the most expensive coat and it keeps the heat more than any others. What surprises most is its colour: an orange so bright that with the reflection of the sun, it could blind anyone who looks towards the British lady. No fear of losing sight of Bernie in the snow landscape, thankfully. Bernie wears a black tuque and mittens, as well as light-grey winter pants. As for Serena, afraid of being cold, she did not spare accessories. Her mauve winter coat is long and loose-fitting, making her look like a potato bag. A large leopard scarf is wrapped around her neck and cap, covering her entire face, except for her expressive eyes. This reminds Bernie of the moments spent looking at each other with their surgical masks on, around the operating table. Serena also wears a black tuque and mittens.

"Of course, let's go," with a gesture of the hand (or a mitten gesture), she invites Bernie to walk in front of her to guide the way. They hold their pairs of snowshoes against their sides.  
  
The snow mounds are so high that it becomes almost impossible to spot the cars parked along the street. Fortunately, the sidewalks are slightly cleared, helped by the morning passage of the snowplow earlier, which facilitates their walk. Serena feels a little silly, she feels like a big ball of tissue.  
  
Quickly, as their march progresses and they move away from the portions of the neighbourhood where the buildings are, Bernie and Serena are hypnotized by the crunching noises of snow under their feet, like a purring sound. Crunch, crunch, crunch ... The most beautiful revelations are the passage of birds that roam the sky from one tree to another. Besides pigeons and crows, Serena sees a red-winged blackbird and Bernie spots a blue-jay.

In this zone so close to the shores of the St-Laurent river, it is pleasant to be able to move from inhabited streets lined with buildings, to streets gradually less occupied, giving way to nature and the sublime view of the edge of the river. The ice floating on the surface gives the impression of a three-dimensional atmosphere.  
  
A pedestrian crossing in the street connects the inhabited part of the neighbourhood to the protected portion of the park and the coasts. Here, the wind is a little stronger and chilly, though not aggressive. The ground is smooth and seems endless, extending so far to the horizon. Serena is almost dizzy, but she can not help but express her admiration. Ancient and miscellaneous trees fill the landscape.  
  
"Oh, this is divine!" Serena's comment is stifled by the thickness of the scarf covering half of her face.  
  
Bernie, not having understood what Serena said, turns around and looks at her questionably. Except Bernie's face (- which Serena has not seen for nearly ten minutes since she is walking behind her)  is a bright pink and her nostrils are wet, almost dripping. She looks adorably ridiculous and Serena laughs heartily.  
  
"Oh my goodness, B-Bernie", she manages to speak between her laughs, "take... ", Serena laughs even louder, "take my hanky".  
  
She removes her mitten and takes a handkerchief out of her pockets.  
Bernie, in turn, takes off her mitten, accepts the handkerchief with an embarrassed expression.

"I'm enjoying myself right now but I just want to make sure you are doing fine", Serena wonders. "I know this has been your idea, but let's be honest, I picture you more, um, let's say, exploring the Sahara, or climbing Mount Machu Picchu", on these words, Bernie's blows her nose so loudly, it mimics the sound of a horn. As ridiculously delightful as her honking laughter. Bernie puts away the hankie, under the loving stare of Serena.

"I'm up to this, of course! Look at this view, its beautiful", Bernie replies, staring directly into Serena's eyes.  
  
"Bernie, you're looking at me ...", Serena comments suspiciously with complicity. Bernie is content to offer her a smirk as seductive as possible under a temperature of -10° Celsius. Bernie senses a sneeze interrupting their glance. She immediately takes the handkerchief to her nostrils and sneezes.  
  
"Oh, sorry about that ... Now, let's put these on ... Remember how?" Bernie asks, adjusting each snowshoe in front of her feet on the sidewalk. Slightly offended, Serena gives her a look that means _Of course, I'm not stupid !_ The problem is that she quickly regrets doing so, because she actually has no idea how to put on these…machines! So many grips and ropes and hooks. From the corner of her eye, she looks at Bernie who is able to quickly adjust them under each boot. When the Big Macho Army Medic is done, she looks over at her lover. Serena is in an unfortunate position, crunched over, not flexible enough, almost falls over.

But Bernie does not dare to suggest her help, she knows better. Bernie waits for Serena to ask. Meanwhile, the small amount of clouds are keeping her occupied while she avoids to look at Serena, a small smirk on her lips.

"Oh, alright, stop sneering! Can you bloody help me?", Serena positions her leg the way Bernie recommended last night. Bernie bends down, slips the straps around Serena's boots, adjusts the fastening and makes sure the belts are tight. Before finishing, she makes sure that the lock is well separated from the sieve, so Serena can be more agile in her movements.  
  
"There, all set", Bernie stands up, unconsciously wiping her nose on the edge of her sleeve. Serena thanks her and tries to take a few steps.  
  
"Now, we need to try them directly in the snow".  
  
Bernie shows the pace, Serena follows closely. At first glance, their two colorful silhouettes against the white background give the impression of two geese waddling and swaying. Its difficult to walk with legs more outstretched.

  
Impressive trees with massive trunks overlook the pristine white scenery. Again, there is almost no footfall in the snow, only a few streaks left by squirrels who have tried to explore the cold.

Without the snowshoes preventing them from sinking, the snow would reach Serena's knees. Well, if we measure the amount of snow according to the legs of Serena, since the length of Bernie's legs is not a good indicator to measure anything.  
  
"So, what do you think?" Bernie opens her arms to the sky, indicating the geography in front of them. "Isn't it beautiful?"  
  
"Beautiful, no doubts ... But I think ...", Serena takes a breath, "It's too much exercise for-" she takes another gulp of air, "for such an early morning". She is short of breath.

All of a sudden, she stops moving. "There's nobody in sight, which is quite startling". The mauve goose looks from left to right.  
  
"Well, it's at our advantage, we have the whole universe for ourselves". Bernie does not seems bothered.  
  
"Oh dear". Serena panicks. "Bernie! Imagine if this portion of the shore is dangerous! Imagine the headlines: Two middle-aged lesbians die a ridiculous death during vacation on Valentine's Day".  
  
Bernie bursts into a wonderful concerto of honks.

  
"Serena, I assure you, everything is fine, it's Valentine's day morning on a Wednesday, most couples are probably late for work".  
  
With these words, Serena stares at her feet, makes scratching motions with her snowshoes against the snow, as if trying to hide a sulking pout.  
  
"And yet, here we are ...", and by this sentence, what Serena means indirectly is that they are not in bed, being lazing or cuddling.  
  
Bernie - still red-nosed - instantly turns and looks lovingly at Serena. Something is tender, sympathizing, and promising in these eyes. She bends down and sets a kiss on Serena's mouth hidden by the scarf.

"You'll see, this will be worth it", Bernie says, gently pattering Serena's cap. The movement on the fabric causes some of the accumulated snowflakes on her head to fall.  
  
"Okay," she answers through her scarf, her eyes calm and full of hope. "Besides, you're right, this is breathtaking".  
  
They resume their hike, like two awkward orange and mauve geese.  
  
In the distance, an imposing heron flies low, majestically over the ice with its large wings. Also, the characteristic croaking of crows fills the tranquil landscape. As they approach the shore, Bernie gradually becomes more agitated. She stops walking, looks from left to right, starts again, as if looking for something.

The ice is not completely formed due to the strength of the rapids. Bernie and Serena have, as background melody, the sound of running water.  


Serena looks at her questioningly.  
  
"Lost something?"  
  
"No, no." Bernie answers in an automatic tone. Obviously, she does not believe what she says. Bernie seems to know perfectly the corners of this portion of the shore. She inspects one tree, advances one step at a time, bends over, gets up, inspects the horizon.  
  
"You sure? Because it looks like you've been here before."  
  
"Okay, okay, yes, I have." Bernie's voice is defeated, but cheerful. She shrugs, like a child who has lost an argument.

"Very late last night, or very early this morning ... During the blizzard, I got out of bed, went here and, um, prepared something".  
  
"You what?"  
  
Stupefied, Serena removes the scarf that hides her mouth, so that she can express herself more efficiently and somehow it makes her think she can hear better.

  
Happy to finally be able to reveal her so not-so-well-hidden plan, Bernie begins to explain her scheming intentions.  
  
"Meteorologist indicated a snow accumulation of more than 30 centimetres, as you can see. It got me thinking. During the night, I escaped with ... something ... I've hidden here, under a tear-resistant cover …somewhere… "  
  
Bernie turns in circles, continues to lean over and look under the frozen cattails. Her snowshoes create fun drawings in the snow. Serena, amazed by the kindness and intention of her lover, does not know how to help, since she does not know what to look out for.

  
"Bernie, you did not need to go through so much trouble ...", Serena is interrupted by Bernie's shout of joy.  
  
"Ah ha!" Victorious, Bernie sinks further along the shore. In front of them, two enormous oak trees create a shield against the tempests of wind. "We'll have to go down a small hill".

  
The slope leading to this place is slightly inclined. Bernie's long skillful legs give her no difficulty in reaching the specific area. As for Serena, she walks slowly, rubbing the snowshoes along the snow. To keep her balance, Serena raises her arms in the air. It looks like she's walking on a tightrope. She almost wishes to slide down on her backside.

Bernie is already rushing through the snow, trying to find the secret hiding place. She gently puts aside her backpack, before squatting in front of a particularized pile of snow and begins to brush the snow away with her forearm.  
  
Something is worrying Serena. There seems to be some unidentified path in the snow around Bernie, however these footprints are not formed by Bernie's snowshoes.

Could it be animal tracks? If so, what kind?

Just before Serena has the chance to warn Bernie that they might not be alone in this area, something comes out from a borrow under the oak tree. It startles Bernie, who yelps by surprise and falls flat on her back, legs intertwined with her snowshoes.

A plump raccoon runs away, grunting and waddling, flees before disappearing between the frozen cattails.  
  
Understanding that no one is hurt, Serena bursts into a lively laughter, folding her arms around her stomach.  
  
Bernie, still in shock, ass in the snow, relaxes and begins to smile, relieved.

"Oh Bernie, are you alright? Did not think that was a bear, did you?"  
  
"That little friend discovered my secret storage place!"  
  
Serena helps Bernie get up and takes pleasure in wiping the snow jammed on her backsides.

The pile of snow is actually a shelter made of wooden branches and a plastic tarpaulin, hiding belongings underneath.

"I'm assuming there's food in that hideout?"  
  
Serena's question hides a glimmer of hope, her stomach gurgling.  
  
"Give me a minute, do not peek, alright?" Bernie seems eager and joyful.

  
Serena remains standing, slightly breathless from laughing. It takes a few seconds to admire the view of the river, calmed by the tranquility of the place. She adores listening to the waves water.  
  
In a few gestures, Bernie has already finished the arrangement. Hidden in the shelter were two small folding cloth chairs and two blankets. Bernie arranged them side by side, facing the river.  
  
"Ta-da!" Bernie tells Serena to approach, pats one of the chairs with her mitten. "Please have a seat, my lady"  
  
"Oh, that's ... that's so romantic", Serena loves the proud look that emanates from Bernie. Even if her entire face is getting pinker from contact with the cold breeze.

"There's more". With that, Bernie walks to her backpack, opens it and pulls out a thermos of hot cocoa, as well as a bag with croissants. They are still warm, thanks to the heater container.

  
She pours Serena's beverage into a plastic cup as Serena has trouble sitting down in the little chair, afraid of falling backwards.

"Oh dear, let's not brake any bones, shall we? Even though the medical system is free here…I'm not sure it is for tourists..."  
  
Bernie, as gracefully as possible while wearing her snowshoes, bends over Serena, cocoa in hand. Before taking the cup, Serena gives a light kiss to Bernie's cold lips and they take advantage of the wet mist of their breaths to warm up a little.  
  
"Thank you so much, it’s a sweet gesture".  
  
Bernie pours herself a hot cup, drinks it all and fills her cup again.  
  
Taking a seat near Serena, Bernie grows a contented sigh as soon as she sits on the chair. They adjust their blankets on their legs and sit more comfortably, holding the cup of cocoa in one hand and a croissant in the other hand. Serena almost devours her snack, while Bernie does not touch it at all.

The silence is comfortable, and the cold does not affect them anymore. In front of them, the mixture of water and ice scrolls peacefully along the current. Serena closes her eyes and pays attention to her surroundings, savouring the present and the scents of nature.  
  
Except that the silence is disturbed by irregular sniffs produced by Bernie. Serena opens her eyes, and sees Bernie's big red nose getting wet. She does not seem to notice it herself. Nodding her head in a disapproving gesture, Serena smiles, falsely discouraged by Bernie's distracted allure. With that, Serena puts the whole croissant in her mouth, and carries her free hand in her pocket to get out other handkerchiefs. She has crumbs all over her blanket.  
  
She leans over to Bernie and pats on her shoulder with the handkerchiefs to give it to her. Bernie turns around, looks at Serena, and burst into another memorable laugh. Serena's mouth is full of croissant. She resembles a hamster that would have filled her cheeks with food. Her contagious laugh makes Serena giggle. Waiting for her laugh to calm down, Bernie puts her cup between her thighs and accepts the handkerchiefs stretched out to her.  
  
"Thank you,"  
  
"I cannot believe you have arranged all of this in the middle of the night."  
  
Bernie blows her nose once more with the force and the sound of a fanfare.  
  
"Yes, well, I think I manage to catch a flu during that process..." Bernie stretches her face, grimaces a little, as she feels her sinus tingling.  
  
"All of this, for Valentine's Day?" Serena's voice is warm, touched.

"Yes, of course, I wanted to surprise you."  Bernie leans over to Serena with the intention to kiss her. Except that Serena points to her dripping nose. Embarrassed, Bernie wipes her nose on the back of her mitten, and leans again. This time, Serena accepts the cold, clumsy kiss.

  
"Bernie, as much as I love this breathtaking scenery, why don't we go back inside before you catch a pneumonia?" Serena smiles, gently rubs Bernie's cheek with her mitten.  
  
Conceiving her defeat, Bernie nods, blowing her nose again.  
  
"I tried to be romantic," Bernie fidgets from nervousness, even laugh a little as she stares in front of her.

  
"Oh, and it’s a success, this is perfect, but I'm worried about your health."

Bernie looks at Serena, profoundly.  
  
"I love you, Serena…"  
  
"And I love you too… but please finish that croissant before the raccoon comes back." 

  


End file.
